Final Stats | Photo Gallery

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- UC Davis junior Morgan Bertsch scored 13 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter to lead three players in double figures and the Aggies earned their first-ever trip to the quarterfinal round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament following a, 71-69, over host Kansas State on Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.

The Aggies improved to 28-6 overall and will meet Indiana on Sunday (March 25) at 11 a.m. PDT at Assembly Hall in the "Elite Eight." UC Davis has advanced farther than any other Big West Conference school in the WNIT, improving to 5-4 in the tournament all time (the most wins of any league member) -- eight of those nine contests on the road.

Led by 28 points from Kayla Goth and a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double from Peyton Williams, the Wildcats finished their season at 18-16 overall.

Bertsch, a biomedical engineering major, finished 15-of-27 from the field -- breaking her own program Division I record of 14 that she set at Cal State Fullerton on March 1 -- to power her second 30-point game of the season, finishing just three points shy of her career high of 34 points in that game against the Titans.

In the process, the Santa Rosa, Calif., native moved past Sydnee Fipps (2011-15) and into second place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,655 points and stands just 56 points shy of Carol Rische (1979-83) for the top spot all time. Bertsch added seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 30 minutes -- the latter tying Alyson Doherty for second on the career list with 147.

Senior political science major Pele Gianotti finished with 15 points on 5-of-6 from the field -- including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc -- adding four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the winning effort. Senior psychology major Rachel Nagel also chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.

After leading by five at the break, an 8-2 run to close the third quarter had Kansas State up by a point after three, as Williams drained a short jumper to complete the comeback -- the Wildcats' first since the four-minute mark of the first quarter.

The two teams traded early baskets and runs to start the fourth, with UC Davis inching out to a five-point advantage thanks to six quick points by Gianotti, Bertsch, and Cierra Hall, but Kansas State was able to reel the Aggies back in, with a 6-0 run of its own for a 60-59 lead with 6:15 to play.

Williams had the Wildcats ahead by that same margin after a basket inside with 2:22 to play, but Bertsch answered with a bucket of her own in the paint, flipping the momentum for the final time as the UC Davis defense went on lock down, holding Kansas State to just 1-for-7 from the field in the final stretch and forcing a turnover on Goth's final attempt to tie with less than a second to play to ice the victory.

The Aggies shot 42 percent from the field and just over 47 percent from beyond the arc -- including seven of their nine from long range in the first half -- in the victory, while limiting the Wildcats to just 38 percent from the floor and 4-of-20 (.200) from long distance.

UC DAVIS 71, KANSAS STATE 69

UC DAVIS (28-6)
Bertsch, Morgan 15-27 1-2 31; Gianotti, Pele 5-6 2-2 15; Nagel, Rachel 4-12 1-2 12; Eaton, Kourtney 1-4 2-2 5; Bessolo, Nina 1-1 0-0 3; Nafekh, Dani 1-5 0-0 3; Hall, Cierra 1-7 0-0 2; Eaton, Karley 0-1 0-0 0; Anderson, Marly 0-3 0-0 0; Song, Sophia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 6-8 71.

KANSAS STATE (18-16)
Goth, Kayla 11-21 4-5 28; Williams, Peyton 8-19 3-3 19; Martin, Shaelyn 2-4 4-5 8; Page, Kaylee 2-10 0-0 5; Ranke, Rachel 2-9 0-0 4; Goodrich, Cymone 1-6 0-0 3; Jones, Kali 1-1 0-0 2; Lakes, Mary 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-71 11-13 69.

UC Davis...................... 21 16 14 20 - 71
Kansas State.................. 16 16 20 17 - 69

3-point goals--UC Davis 9-19 (Nagel, Rachel 3-9; Gianotti, Pele 3-3; Nafekh, Dani 1-2; Eaton, Kourtney 1-2; Bessolo, Nina 1-1; Anderson, Marly 0-2), Kansas State 4-20 (Goth, Kayla 2-5; Page, Kaylee 1-8; Goodrich, Cymone 1-2; Ranke, Rachel 0-3; Williams, Peyton 0-2). Fouled out--UC Davis-Bertsch, Morgan, Kansas State-None. Rebounds--UC Davis 39 (Hall, Cierra 8), Kansas State 45 (Williams, Peyton 18). Assists--UC Davis 19 (Hall, Cierra 4; Nafekh, Dani 4; Eaton, Kourtney 4), Kansas State 15 (Goth, Kayla 5; Williams, Peyton 5). Total fouls--UC Davis 15, Kansas State 11. Technical fouls--UC Davis-None, Kansas State-None. A-2223